Not So Never Ending
by Pikeru's Angel
Summary: <html><head></head>A pop, a plop, and a groan. Another person ends up in Amy's garden, though this time the shed stays in tact. Warning: Swearing, mentions of torture, and general angst.</html>
1. It Hurts

He's back.

He's back and it hurts.

Not physically -the Time Lord's had healed any injuries every time they brought him close to death- but it still hurts. Out of the time lock, out on Earth God-knows-where, and he hurts so badly.

Silence, that's all there is. Not around him. Around him there is so much _noise_. Night birds and wind and crickets somewhere in the distance. But his _mind_, it's so quiet in his head and that aches. He's had the drums for over nine hundred years (he's nine hundred ten now, right? He can't recall), and now they're gone. Rassilon had taken them out, tried to reverse what he'd done.

But he's gotten so used to it. He accepted it so long ago - that he would always be insane, that there would always be that sometimes-painful drumming in his head. He's even started to enjoy it, just a little.

And now it was gone, just like that. It's far more painful than the drums could ever be, that silence in his mind.

Huddling up beside a nearby shed he curls into himself, arms set protectively over his head. Wasn't that what he always did? When he was scared, when it _hurt_? Curl up and pretend it would all go away, just for a moment. He almost can't remember the last time he had, except he does. With the Doctor near by, saying how _hungry_ he was (and the Time Lord's had healed his dying body, so he's not any more, and he almost aches for that too), and it had only lasted a moment. A moment of weakness.

He shudders, tapping his fingers against his head in that damnable rhythm to try and bring it back and stop how much it hurts to be without it. It doesn't work, not that he expected it to. It helps though, a little. It's external, but it's there. The never ending drums.

In that moment he realizes something. Those drums had made him, turned him into something mad and horrible and evil. Without them, what is he now? He is nothing. He's back to what he used to be.

The thought of trying to take over the universe again -to beat the Doctor- makes him nauseated, and that scares him.

For the first time since, well, _ever_, he feels guilt for everything he's done.

If he hadn't been mad in the first place he's sure that guilt would drive him insane. Instead the feeling is almost welcome, and he's not sure why.

There's footsteps, crackling footsteps, and he unravels himself, trying to look powerful and confident even though he's leaned against a shed in tattered clothes with tears in his eyes. A young woman walks up to him, green eyes suspicious. She's dressed in her nightgown and slippers, with bright red curls put up and falling against her freckled face. She glares at him.

"Oi! Who are you?" She says, and he dully notes that she's Scottish and is hiding a cricket bat behind her back.

So he sighs, rolling his eyes at the human before him. "So I'm in Scotland then?" She scoffs at him.

"Leadworth, in fact." Her voice is sarcastic. "Now who are you?"

He pauses, brows furrowing. How does one answer that question when everything they've been their whole life has been stripped away from them? He decides quickly that he'll answer by who he was, who he used to be… who be might just be now, a little.

"Koschei. My name is Koschei." He promptly ignores how wrong the words feel in his mouth.

{][][}

**A/N: *happy sigh* My first real jump into the DW fandom that doesn't involve Sherlock. It feels so good... I'm honestly not surprised my very first fic here is centered around the bad guy. XD**

**I might continue this, if anyone wants me to. Just tell me in a review, if you'd be so kind. Thanks.**

**~Piki :B**


	2. I Thought

The woman stares at him for a moment, seeming to turn over the word in her mind. A smirk spreads across her face, as though the fact that he's there is like some sort of joke. If he had been his former self the Mast- _Koschei_ would have bristled, but instead he just sunk a bit into the shed, arms crossed defiantly. The Scottish woman chuckles, tossing the cricket bat off to the side. Giving her a once over Koschei isn't sure she would have needed it against him anyway. He doubted he could have fought off a child, let alone her.

She holds out a hand, and he glares. "I'm not gonna bite, stupid." She says the word like it's _endearing_, and this time he does glare. "I've got a big, strong husband to do that for me. Just come with me back to the house." He pauses, and then forces himself onto his feat, nearly collapsing before righting himself. She raises an eyebrow, wrapping and arm around him and holding him up. He scowls, because it's so _human_ of her. She misinterprets, smacking him upside the head.

"Don't be like that just because it's a girl helping you." She smirks again, and it's just a bit more playful, like they were old friends. Koschei can't help but think how humiliating this is, returning from the Time Lock so weak he can hardly stand and having this human helping him. How far he had fallen.

As they walk on the old gravel path he can't help think there's something… off. The swing is creaking despite there being nothing to push it, and there's a feeling in the air he can't quite place. It reminds him of his childhood, but not quite. When they walk up to the house he can't help but think _it's too big_. For a woman and her husband when there's clearly no one else living there, the house is simply too big for two. It's plain, and normal, but he can't help but think of the ghosts that must be living in the walls.

There's a clatter from inside the house and the woman cringes. "Sorry Amy, Rory! Didn't mean to!" Someone shouts, and Koschei grits his teeth. Not only was he going into some Scottish woman's house, with her husband home, they had someone over as well. Could the day get any worse? Well, of course it could, and didn't he just deserve every minute?

He blinks at the thought, stumbling along. He hadn't meant to think it, but it still crossed his mind somehow. Must be the guilt coming up again. Was this how it would be from now on? God, it would be so annoying. He didn't know how other people stood it, gnawing senses of guilt. But then, other people didn't usually have it over millions of deaths and trying to take over the universe.

The woman -Amy- opens the door, leading him inside and setting him down on the couch and completely ignoring what the other two people in the house are doing. The first is rather ordinary looking, with a bit of a large nose, and he'd been sweeping bits of a broken vase into a dustpan. The other was happily munching on what looking like fish sticks and custard with one hand while straightening his bowtie with the other. They'd both stopped, and big nose had tried asking what was going one. Amy just waved him off and kept walking.

Bowtie blinked, the custard covered fish stick falling from limp fingers. His pale green eyes widen comically, jaw dropping. He places the bowl to the side, standing slowly. In an instant he's standing over Koschei, looking confused and hurt and enraged. One hand falls on Koschei's shoulder, the other dangling awkwardly. Bowtie opens his mouth, and the other hands curls into a tight fist. It is this moment that Amy returns, a first aid kit in her hand.

"Doctor!" She shouts, walking over angrily, and bowtie took a step back. "What are you doing?" The Doctor (_Sweet Rassilon, that was the Doctor? When had he regenerated? Did he even remember? No, stupid thought; he always remembered._) kept starring, one hand remaining clenched at his side while the other stayed out to now empty air. Slowly it went down to his side.

"You went into the Time Lock," he says, voice strangled. "I thought you were _dead_. That Rassilon had killed you." Koschei smirked, forcing himself to play with the old song and dance even though he was so out of rhythm - didn't even have a rhythm,

"Well, now I'm back," he replied, spreading his arms smugly and revealing scars as the torn material of his hoodie came up. "Didn't you miss me? Miss your _Master_?" This felt wrong, this felt wrong, this felt so _wrong_. The Doctor -oblivious as ever- didn't notice, instead clenching his teeth. Emotionally stunted, this one was. Must have been alone during the regeneration. Lord knew what damage that had done to the Master.

The Doctor shook his head slowly, the movement so small it was barely visible. "You haven't changed." He said coldly, taking a step forward. "Still the same old Master. Any big plans for taking over the world? Don't answer that - it's you." He glared, giving a shout about Rory and watching before storming off. Amy looked back, eyes regretful, before following behind. Koschei stared off after them, hating himself for the taunts. It had been necessary though. Who knew how the Doctor would have reacted to how he was now? Probably a lot worse, especially in this regeneration. Ten would have been pleased with any sort of "improvement", but this one… possibly Eleven…

Nose (Rory?) walked in, brow furrowed. He gave Koschei a glance over, looking to the first aid kit on the other side of the room before walking over. He bent down slightly, examining the bleached blond like a specimen under a microscope. Koschei shivered slightly under the scrutiny, He fidgeted when Rory's gaze didn't waver. It made him feel like we was back in his cell of Gallifrey, various Time Lords trying to figure out where to hurt him next, leaving no skin un-marked.

Finally, after several quiet minutes, Rory stood back to his full height. "Any injuries that need to be taken care of?" He questioned, his voice akin to that you would use on a frightened child. Koschei shook his head, and the other man sighed in relief, plopping down on the couch.

"Do I want to know why you look like Harold Saxon?" Rory asked after a moment. Koschei laughed, then recoiled, shocked at the genuine sound. It had been so _long_ since he'd had any reason to laugh, to smile…

"Probably not," he said after a quiet moment, leaning back into the couch, eyes starting to drift shut of their own accord. "Not that I'd tell you."

His head nodded once… twice… and he was asleep.

{][Meanwhile...][}

"Doctor!" Amy called, going into a light sprint to catch up with the raging alien. "Doctor, get your arse back here and explain!" The Doctor finally stopped, shoulders heaving as he leaned up against a tree, one hand rubbing over his face.

The redhead came over, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Explain. Who was that, and why did you call him the Master? He said his name was Koschei." The Doctor gave a sort-of laugh, the sound choked and dry.

"That… that hasn't been Koschei in a long time. Not since we were kids. He's been the Master almost as long as I've known him - he always said it suited him better." He let out a shaky breath. "He's-he's done some horrible things Amy. Granted, I've probably done worse, but he's taken over the Earth and tried for the universe more times than I can count… Al because of those blasted drums…"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Slow down, boy," she said, keeping her voice just a little softer than she normally would. "You're starting the sequel when I haven't read the first book. Beginning."

So he explained. He told Amy about Gallifrey and fields of red grass, and the untempered schism. He explained, in detail, what the drums were, how they came to be, and how they'd effected the Master's head. Carefully, quietly, he spoke of who the Master had been, what he'd done, and if he skipped over many of the finer points on the Year that Never Was no one could blame him. Finally, he spoke of Rassilon, the Time War, and the Christmas of 2009.

He looked up at his friend, eyes so wide an innocent, but at the same time shinning with every minute of nine hundred-eleven years. "I don't know if I can take him tricking me again, Amy. There have been so many times I thought he was getting _better_. I can't take another betrayal."

Suddenly, Amy pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing gentle circles into his back. Whoever said Amelia Pond was terrible at comforting people had clearly never met her.

"You care about him, yeah?" She muttered, feeling the Doctor nod against her shoulder. She pulled him back, keeping their eyes locked. "You have two hearts, Doctor, and I can tell they've both been hurt." Pause. "But there wouldn't be a point in any relationship if trust wasn't involved. Hearts get broken, people change, but there is _always_ a second chance, or a third, in an eighteenth, you understand me? Give him another try. You might be surprised."

Blinking hard, the taller man nodded, and turned back toward the house. Amy gave a harsh sigh, rolling her eyes and she followed.

"My boys…"

{][][}

**A/N: Awww... *looks at Koschei while he's all cuddly and unconscious* Just a bit of a reqeust here - could someone do fanart for that? Rory and the Master/Koschei, sitting on the couch, with Koschei nodding off on Rory's shoulder? Because that would be absalutley adorable.**

**Anywho, thanks for thoes that reviewed, thoes who will review, and the people that were/are too lazy t do either of thoes things and just faved/alerted. More on the way!**

**~Piki :B**


	3. Sweet Nightmare

**Note: Dream sequence in italics.**

**Warning: Mild descriptions of violence and cursing.**

{][][}

The Doctor honestly hadn't realized how long he'd been explaining to Amy until he came back in. Quite some time he imagined, considering when he came back in the Ma- Koschei was asleep, leaning against Rory. His face contorted in flashed of horror, hands twitching sporadically as they clasped at Rory's shirt. The (technically) older man sighed, rubbing a hand over the blonde's back. He glanced up at other Time Lord, one eyebrow raised.

"You certainly took your time," he said quietly, and Koschei flinched in his sleep. Rory looked down worriedly. "He's been like this for the whole two hours you were outside. I was going to wake him up, but considering he couldn't even walk without Amy helping him I figured he needed to rest." The Doctor looked down at the other Time Lord, watching every twitch and shudder carefully. Clearly the contact wasn't doing anything; if anything it seemed to make it worse. His mouth moved with every small movement, and the sound of his voice could just barely be heard from across the room, but not made out.

"What's he saying?" The Doctor asked quietly, fingers working nervously with his bowtie.

Rory cocked his head, running a hand through Koschei's hair, quieting him. "He keeps saying he's sorry. That it hurts. To put "it" back." He paused, hands stopping at the base of Koschei's neck. "What "it" is he talking about, Doctor?"

And for one moment, just one, the Doctor's hearts stopped.

Was it possible, or was he just jumping to conclusions again? Could the drums have been… taken out? He couldn't help but hope. If they had been maybe Koschei could heal; become who he was always meant to. Late was better than nothing.

It took a whole ten seconds for the Doctor to answer, his mind bouncing rapidly and weighing options.

He swallowed, taking a few steps forward, still keeping a distance. "The drums," he said quietly, starring down as Koschei twitched at the word. "They took out the drums." He couldn't help but be a little awestruck at the fact. He hadn't thought it was possibly. Even human with no memory, the Master had kept the drums. It must have been one of the much older Time Lord's.

Making a small humming noise Rory nodded, slowly untangling Koschei's hands from his shirt. "I think it'll be better if he wakes up to you." Koschei whimpered, grip tightening with every attempt

"Theta," he muttered desperately, though when one hand was untangled he didn't try to grab on again. "Theta, _please_." The Doctor sat down on the couch quickly, pulling the other Time Lord to his chest. He gave Rory a pleading look, unsure what to do. The other man shrugged helplessly, walking out of the room.

The Doctor looked down at the blond head shaking into his chest. This was one of those moments he wished he hadn't regenerated. His previous self might've known what to do, or at least had a vague idea of how to help. This one was useless when it came to this sort of… stuff.

Biting his lip he copied Rory, running his hand though the soft locks. Koschei stopped moving, entwining his hands in the tweed jacket. The Doctor brought his hand forward, just barely brushing the temple, when he felt a brief flash. Darkness, so cold, and absolute _silence_. He blinked, jerking his hand back as though burned. Koschei, in his nightmare, seemed desperate for a psychic connection, reaching out to touch and open minds.

Curiosity washed over him in one huge wave, like every other time he sees something a bit strange. Like pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight, or a crack in a bedroom wall that has a voice. He nearly reaches out again, putting one hand on the temple and pressing their foreheads together, but he holds himself back. Koschei (at what point had he stopped being the Master?) would never forgive him if he did that. Going into someone's mind was a huge step and took so much more trust than they could put in each other. Transferring something, as long as it wasn't forced, was no big deal, but going deeper… He couldn't do it.

So instead he sat there, in the dead of night, stroking his hands up and down Koschei's back, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel the bone through the thin material of the hoodie. The Pond's were talking upstairs, Amy explaining and Rory asking questions like he always did. The sound washed over the house even though their voices barely hit above a whisper, like it's the only sound in the world. It's soothing.

Normally he doesn't like quiet, or how slowly and dully time passes (before Koschei had ended up in Amy's backyard he'd been considering leaving as soon as the fish sticks were gone), but this is almost nice. Like running through pastures of red grass, shouting up at the sky.

It's perfect.

{][][}

_You're sitting there, trying desperately to keep your eyes open. Hands and ankles are chained to the wall, an there's a collar around your neck. You've been like this since you came back - chained up and weak. The only reason you stay up is because you know it's about the time one or two will come in, and they only heal you if you pass out during, never if you started asleep. The only way they even know when to stop is when darkness takes you and you stop flinching at every movement, and you honestly don't want to regenerate. You've come to like this body._

_There's the drumming, screaming in your head. You can't hear anything over it. Rassilon comes in, walks over and puts his hands to your head and things begin to blur, unrecognizable. Everything comes back in sharp clarity. He's no longer there, and with him went the drums. There is silence and it hurts because for almost as long as you can remember there has been noise every second of every day. One, two, three, four, over and over until the day you die. Did that mean he killed you? You can't tell._

_No, apparently, because then there are footsteps down the hall. You're head stops aching with silence, and you cling to that, like a dying man a life raft. A familiar figure walks in, and you blink, eyes wide behind the darkness. You pull up your hoodie as quietly as you can with the chains, not wanting to let him see your face. Not wanting him to see how weak you've become._

_They walk toward you, a hand running over your shoulder (which still stings even after the break had been fixed) and you flinch back. Their head cocks to one side, dirty blond hair flipping over one big brown eye. They shouldn't be here, you know they shouldn't, but hope rises in your chest when they reach out again._

_This time you control yourself, letting their soft hands go down from the shoulder before they take your hand. "What happened to you, Kosch?" They ask, eyes filled with sorrow and guilt. You hate that expression on their pale face; always have. You wonder how they could be here, like this. They should look so different, but instead he's the same as the day he left._

"_It hurts," you whisper. "It hurts so much. Can you make it stop?" They look up at you, hand brushing your cheek The action feels familiar and you don't know why. They'd never done that, never shown such affection. Neither of you had. But it feels so nice, and you wish the two of you could stay like this forever,_

_They stand up suddenly, turning for the door of the cell._

"_Theta!" You cry, because you don't want him to leave you alone again. "Theta, __please__!" They turn around, eyes suddenly hard and sad and hair had turned to a spiky dark brown. They're taller, and instead of Academy robes they have a pinstripe suit and a trench coat._

"_You made your choice," he says, voice cold, and his converse don't make a sound as he leaves._

"_Don't leave me!" You say, and instantly hate how desperation is laces through every word. "Theta -Doctor- don't leave me alone! __I need you__!" But he's gone. In a swirl of tan and a slam of the metal door his figure disappears into darkness. There is silence again, and the pounding in your skull is back with a vengeance. It has to rhythm, no pattern, just constant pain and it's so much worse than anything else the Time Lord's have done to you so far._

_There is the ghost of a presence, and you grab hold and pull whoever it is in. Thought enter your mind and they aren't yours, faster than light they whiz by, and suddenly the presence you had held on to is gone, jerking back._

_You feel something - the whisper of warmth in this cold hell. It engulfs you, and it's almost too much. You nearly push it away, but it feels right so you let it stay. Everything still hurts, your head still pounds and you shiver. Somehow though, that warmth makes every difference in the world. For a moment there is peace and perfection, and everything stands still. You decide to enjoy it while it lasts. It was only a matter of time before you were thrown back._

_The warmth stays. Even when the doors clang open and two Time Lord's come in, one ready to heal and the other wanting to hurt, it remains. When you curl up in vain hop to protect some of your pained body it's there like a barrier, shielding you from some of the pain even as blows rain over you._

_They walk off, leaving you even weaker than before even after they've healed you. There's a noise off to your left, like something heavy being moved. Barely able to move, you turn your head._

_There has been a crack in the cell since the day you were shoved in and locked up. It reminds you of the crooked smile all the politicians used to use in your Harold Saxon days. Sometimes, once or twice, it had glowed, just faintly, and you had heard things coming from it. Sounds of the TARDIS and what sounded like a husband and wife talking to each other. You had figured it was your own insanity coming to a new high._

_It wasn't._

_Because there, where the crack was, is now light. The light dims the more it opens, and you can see something. Trees and a swing and house way in the distance, and there's something mystical about it. That crooked smile crack keeps growing, exposing more of the scene. A redhead in her nightgown holding up a cricket bat, eyes going everywhere as she looks for something. Or perhaps it's someone? You think there's a police box, but surely that's just your imagination inserting things you wish were there. This whole thing, in fact, had to be a hallucination._

_You aren't so sure of that thought when the crack swallows you whole. The last thing you hear is the chains rattling and the collar falling to the ground, but the last thing you remember is Rassilon taking the drums from your head._

{][][}

Koschei woke up slowly, shuffling into a warm body. He can feel a hand going up and down his back, and he automatically assumes it's Rory since he's somewhat sure he'd fallen asleep against the human. He buries his face deeper into the material, breathing in deeply. Except it didn't smell like Rory. It didn't even smell human.

He jerked back, eyes wide as he shuffled back from the Doctor.

The other Time Lord blinked, arm still held out to his side where Koschei's body had been.

"And good morning to you too," he said after a moment, as though the whole exchange had been perfectly normal. Koschei shook his head, trying to straighten it after the nightmare he couldn't for the life of him remember.

"What the hell?" He asked in a tone akin to one you would use waking up in bed with your friend after a drunken night.

The Doctor shrugged. "You fell asleep on Rory, I had a chat with Amy, came back in to find you asleep, sat down on the couch to explain to Rory and he pushed you off on me and ran." Koschei could tell by the slightly slower way of speech that he was lying about something in there, but didn't mention it.

"Yes, I figured that much," he said sarcastically, which felt so much better than the harsh words of the previous night. "That doesn't explain why I woke up curled into that _thing_-" he motioned to the tweed. "-with you rubbing my back like a child." The elder glanced down.

"You started… twitching. Muttering things." He said, his hands moving awkwardly about. "I thought you were having a nightmare and you -err- sort of clung to the tweed and I didn't… I didn't know what to do." Koschei blushed slightly, eyes wide, and decided he really would have been happier not knowing.

It was this moment that Amy came down, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Could you two keep it down?" She muttered, Scottish brogue unusually thick. "From now on, I mean. It five in the bloody morning." And with that she made her way to the kitchen, turning on the kettle loudly as Rory came down.

{][][}

**A/N: Damn... that was fast. Which means you lot better hope I finish quickly before the plot bunny dies. JK, jk... I hope.**

**Oh, I feel really good about the dream in this chapter, but not much else! Yay! At least there's something I like about it, which is more than I can say for just about every other thing I've ever posted here. ^_^**

**Just realized something. For a story where Amy was supposed to be my secondary main character it doesn't have that much Amy in it. XD I'll try to remedy this in the next chapter. If I can't, well, seconday chara gets changed to Eleven.**

**And we get to see how Koschei got here, even if he doesn't remember how. XD Hopefully my reason is somewhat okay. I had something completley different in mind yesterday when I started writing up the dream, but early this morning when I finished it up the crack seemed more plausible. My excuse: Because Gallifrey is in a Time Lock, therefore technically having no time at all (I think), they get the cracks later, therefore it spits the Master out long after the cracks have disappeared and into Amy's garden directly after Day of the Moon! (There is an explanation on why they're back at Amy's too, just so I don't get stuff on that.)**

**Anywho, this is getting long and rambly. If you have any arguments for the crack being the Master's ticket back feel free to leave them in the comments.**

**~Piki :B**


	4. Tears and Ice Cream

Breakfast was… different from what Koschei expected. Even when he'd been married to Lucy breakfast was a rare thing, and when they did sit at the table the atmosphere was always chilled. They didn't speak, eating quickly before going about the day as normal. At the Academy meals had been rushed, everyone inhaling their food in hope of not being late for something or other.

In the Pond household it was completely different. Koschei had watched in fascination as Amy and Rory moved through the kitchen smoothly, laughing and joking with one another. The Doctor complained about the food choice ("Bacon? Really? Honestly, just because your Scottish…") and Amy flicked pancake batter at him. Or tried, anyway, but ended up hitting Rory instead. He couldn't remember seeing anyone acting that friendly or warm, and he nearly joined when a stray bit of the ever decreasing amount of batter came his way. It wasn't his place though, so he wiped the mixture from his hair and continued to watch.

Eating itself was an event all its own. Friendly banter was exchanged, small bits of scrambled egg thrown between Amy and the Doctor while Rory tried desperately not to laugh. And in the middle of it all -quite literally- was Koschei, feeling even more out of place. He didn't let himself get used to it, of course. After all, how long would it be before he was handed over to Touchwood or Unit? How long before he was just dropped off somewhere he couldn't cause trouble? Not long, he assumed, but one could never be sure.

Eventually things calmed down into a companionable silence, which only punctuated the distinct lack of noise of Koschei's head. He kept his face toward his food, trying in vain to distract himself. The thoughts simply couldn't come fast enough. If there was talking or something to take his attention away from it, it was manageable -like with the drums; he could push them back if he had to focus on something else- but in this almost hushed tone it felt like there was _nothing_ despite the clanking of forks on plates and smooth breathing.

Hardly able to stand it another moment he stood abruptly, wobbling on his feet a bit, and all but ran out the door to the yard. He barely heard his chair clatter, or the sound of the Doctor's rushed apologies. It was as though nothing could puncture that absolute stillness in his head. Like the drums on a bad day.

He ran, bare feet pattering on the ground in almost of a sped up version of the rhythm. He let it wash over him, taking it in. It was so much duller - like a watch wrapped in cotton. It made the pain in his head a bit better, but not much.

He hadn't gotten that far when the Doctor seemed to appear, long limbs wrapped around Koschei's form and halting him. He froze when the younger man broke down, collapsing on shaky legs. The Doctor kneeled on to the wet ground, pulling him in closer.

Looking down the Doctor once again rubbed at the boney back, resting his chin on the blond head. "It's okay," he said quietly. "It's okay. What's wrong, Kosch? Maybe I can help."

The other Time Lord sobbed against his chest, and if he hadn't been distracted he would have been mortified by his own position. "It _hurts_," he said between breaths. "I-It's too- too quiet and I can't - think fast enough and it _hurts._" The Doctor's brow furrowed, and he brought his hand up just under the base of the skull, rubbing Koschei's neck gently.

"What hurts, Kosch?" He asked quietly. "I need you to help me understand. I only want to help you." He could feel the body pressing against his shudder shaking, tension slowly draining.

"The silence…" Koschei replied and the Doctor stiffened. "The silence in my head… It hurts. The drums, those never-ending drums are just _gone_ and it hurts so much, Doctor…" He let out another sob, because even with this keeping his focus on something else that silence still hurt. The drums, at least, had never been painful. Lord, did he wish for those drums.

Another moment of stillness and Koschei groaned, grasping on to any small sound that could infiltrate the nothingness of his mind.

A minute of quiet and the Doctor awkwardly pet Koschei's hair, like you would a child who just had a nightmare. "Kosch, tell me everything. Get your mind off of it. Tell me how long you were on Gallifrey, what happened, how you ended up in Amy's garden. Just _talk_."

So Koschei did.

He talked about how, upon returning, they were right back at the start of the war. About the cell, with its crooked smile crack. He hardly spoke of the other Time Lord's and what they'd done, but it was written in every shudder of his overly-thin form. At great length he explained his theories on his final days in Hell and how he came to be at the Pond household, about the niggling thoughts that the crack was somehow involved in it all. All the while the Doctor just listened (which, as anyone would tell you, was nearly impossible, but he managed), trying his best to imitate the soothing motions he'd seen parents use all across the galaxy and probably making a proper muck of it. He could never tell.

"What happened in that cell?" The Doctor asked in one of the many pauses. Koschei stiffened, suddenly pushing back and ripping himself from the Doctor's grip. His dark eyes widened marginally and he swore in quiet Gallifreyan.

"That didn't happen," he said firmly, bringing himself up on trembling legs. He quickly swatted at the Doctor's hand when he non-verbally offered help. "You understand me? That _did not_ just happen and we never speak of it again." Without another word he stormed off, though the effect was rather lost by an incessant stumble.

{][][}

Amy did not question it when Koschei stormed out in the middle of breakfast. She did not question it when the Doctor ran after him either. And she most certainly didn't question the fact that it was an hour-and-a-half until Koschei walked back in, shaking and not able to walk properly.

Okay, maybe a bit.

"Are you alright?" She asked just about the second the Time Lord walked in, leading him to the table. "What happened at breakfast? First you, then the Doctor. My cooking in honestly not that bad." She smirked a bit at the joke, but there was an underlying worry in her eyes. Koschei hadn't protested, hadn't scoffed, hadn't had a reaction when she helped him to a chair. Even after less than twelve hours she knew it wasn't normal for him.

He blinked, like he was coming out of a daze. "I'm fine," he snapped, standing up and turning toward the door. However, it was quite clear he _wasn't_ find the moment he did so. Mostly because when he tried to take a step he nearly fell flat on his face. Obviously Amy helped him, pushing him back into the chair. She grimaced slightly when she felt the collar bone clearly protruding through the hoodie, and went to the fridge.

"Want anything in particular?" She questioned, rooting around for something edible. "I mean, the Doctor likes fish sticks and custard, so I don't know if that's just him or…" Koschei's face at the mention was a clear enough answer. She nodded to herself, grabbing the tub of ice cream from the freezer and a pear. She tossed the pear over to where it hit the table, rolling over in Koschei's general direction as she brought out two (rather large) spoons.

"Pear or ice cream? First, I mean." Koschei raised an eyebrow, grabbing the spoon and taking a large chunk from the top layer of the tub. Amy nodded in approval, giving a cheeky wink.

"So," she said around the spoon, making it sound more like "show". "Explain. Breakfast, Doctor, running, etcetera." He shrugged, sucking on the spoon.

"Nothing to explain. Just got a bit too quiet." She scoffed.

"Yes, because it's so _loud_ in Leadworth of all places. Why were you gone so long?" The blond just shrugged again, ignoring her question in favor of more ice cream. She tilted her head, peering down at him with a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes.

"We talked," he said, which wasn't strictly a lie. There had been talking involved, he'd just been doing most of it.

Amy's eyes widened, her mouth making a small o of understanding. She put that cheeky smile back on, nodding. "I get ya. You two were just talking." Her tone clearly implied what she was thinking, as did her growing grin. Koschei rolled his eyes, sticking the spoon childishly in his mouth. Honestly, he didn't know why humans were so sexually minded.

"Nothing like that," he corrected, though made no hurry in doing so. "All we did was talk. We're hardly friends, let alone lovers." She shrugged, her face the epitome of innocence.

"Not like I'd be offended if you were. What would one more pair of gay friends be added to my list?" There was a moment of sort of companionable silence (which really wasn't silent at all, because the early morning radio was on in the other room) when Koschei realized something.

"Where's the husband? Off to work, I suppose. You humans with your dull little jobs…" Amy brought a hand to her face, snickering quietly in complete agreement.

With a roll of the eyes she took another bite of the ice cream -now down to half- and smiled. "He'sh vishiting hish shishter." She said , popping the spoon out of her mouth.

Koschei cocked his head, a small smirk on his face. "Pardon?"

"He's visiting his sister." Amy laughed. "She's been pestering us for days. We made a bit of a trip to America and, apparently, we didn't get service in nowhere, middle of or in 1969. She tried calling, and now that we're back she absolutely wants to kill us for worrying her, so Rory's going over. Hopefully he doesn't end up a zombie, though I wouldn't put it past Sam." Koschei nodded, feeling a pit in his stomach at the mention of… family. Not that he'd ever had a particularly good relationship with his father and his mother had died when he was young, but that really was beside the point.

_We're the only two left. There's no one else._

He shuddered, remembering. When his eyes had shut he hadn't died, he just hadn't had the strength to keep them open. He remembered the Doctor, sobbing, clutching at him like he was the last thing in the universe. Maybe he had been for those few moments. All that had existed. The last thing he remembered was that the Doctor kept telling him how sorry he was, over and over. He remembered the Doctor being pulled off of him, just before he went. Even with someone clutching his dead body he'd died alone.

A quick snap brought him back to reality. He blinked harshly, looking at Amy with too-wide eyes.

"What?" He asked, voice clipped.

"You were zoning out and dripping ice cream on my table.' She nodded down toward the wood and Koschei looked down, surprised to find that, yes, he was dripping ice cream on the table. He put the spoon in his mouth quickly, stopping any more from splattering down.

Amy smirked, muttering something about men as she took another bite.

"Any who," she said, drawing it out to last a good few seconds. "…I've got nothing to follow that."

Koschei nodded, standing up. "Well, now that we're done with this little chat," he said with a grin, "I need to get cleaned up, agree?"

The ginger woman nodded, body tensing marginally. "Bathroom's on the second floor, just by the stairs. Call if you need anything."

With a scoff Koschei walked off, ignoring how much he wanted to take up the offer.

{][][}

It was another twenty minutes before the Doctor walked in, and Koschei was still in the bathroom. Amy glances up at him, spoon sticking out of her mouth comically. The Doctor didn't laugh or smile though, just plopped down at the table with a sigh, his nine hundred years starting to show.

Amy cocked her head to one side, spoon making a loud _pop_ as she took it from her mouth. "Something wrong?"

The Doctor shrugged. "It's just…" he sighed, running a hand through his floppy hair. "I don't know what to do, Amy. He's had those drums almost his whole life, and now they're… gone. He's so different." He made a small groaning sound, putting his head in his hands. "How do I do this?"

There was a pause before Amy moved, taking on hand and holding in gently, fingers stroking the back of new hands. "You take it one step at a time. I can't tell you how to do this, because I don't know Koschei like you do, but I can help. Actually, I'd be rubbish at giving help. You'd better ask Rory instead if you need it." She smiled as the Doctor gave a small chuckle, reverting back to his old self.

"If there is one thing you are rubbish at, Pond," he said, taking on a mock-serious tone, "it is cooking.

She laughed, giving him a proper whack on the arm. He made an indignant sound, rubbing the offended limb, and Amy just laughed harder.

"Am I interrupting something?" Koschei's sarcastic voice came from the door. "Naughty, naughty Mrs. Pond. I thought you were married." Amy let out giggle, standing up and leaving the room.

Glancing over the Doctor started cleaning up, but quickly dropped the ice cream when he turned back around. Koschei… really cleaned up.

He'd clearly showered, blond hair dripping onto the floor. He was wearing some or Rory's clothes -one of the plain button-ups and jeans- and it practically hung off his skinny frame, the shirt tucked in and a belt put in tight. Somehow it didn't make him look like a child putting on their parents clothes or something equally ridiculous, just gorgeous. (Or rather, more so. Koschei had always been stunning.) He had that cheeky grin on his face, and _dear Lord_-

The Doctor blinked harshly, picking up the tub off the floor and sticking it deftly in the freezer.

In the same moment he decided that he absolutely _did not_ see Koschei's smirk get wider.

{][][}

**A/N: Ha ha ha! More Amy! *punches air in victory* (Still changed it to Eleven though. XD Sorry Amelia, you honestly aren't in it that much.)**

**^_^ Koschei is too much fun. Far, far too much fun.**

**You guys know what to do. Hit the little review button, if you please. Thanks in advance.**

**~Piki :B**


	5. Scarves and Coats and Such

Time, the Doctor decided, was a cruel mistress when you didn't commonly abide by her laws.

Oh, when you were hopping through her and only paused for food and sleep it was _fantastic._ If you were in one spot, letting it drag past, it was pure _torture_.

Shortly after finding Koschei in his new… attire Rory had come back with his sister, to whom he explained about the two Time Lord's in his and Amy's living room and how they would be off again soon. Koschei had gone off, sleeping in one of the guest bedroom. This, of course, left the Doctor listening from the kitchen, ready to bash his head into the table to stop the boredom.

"Boooorrrreeeedddddd," he drawled to himself, ears pricking as Sam finally started saying her goodbyes. "Time's passing sooooo sloooooowwwwwly." The door slammed shut, and the sound of footsteps thump down the stairs. "Thank goodness!" He shouted when the three of them finally came into the room. Koschei scoffed, leaning against the wall.

Amy raised an eyebrow at the younger Time Lord, giving him a -quite frankly- appraising stare. "Doctor," she said slowly, "the TARDIS has a wardrobe almost the size of this house, right?"

Brow furrowing, the Doctor nodded and Rory let out a low groan, headed out the back door.

She smiled, taking her boys' hands, and promptly lead them out the door.

"Perfect!" The Doctor and Koschei exchanged a look from where they were being dragged. "We can find Kosch something proper in that mess!"

And if Koschei winced and the use of the nickname, no one noticed.

{][][}

The TARDIS wardrobe was not, in fact, the size of Amy's house. More like the first floor with a bit of the second added on. But, when you were a hoarder like the Doctor and you've traveled with as many people who have left their stuff behind as the Doctor, you tended to get a rather large clothes collection.

It was also separated into three sections. On the far left there were the clothes of any and all female companions (it took up a good portion of the wardrobe, as one can imagine), in the middle the males (a considerably smaller amount of space), and the far right the moderate selection from the Doctor's past regenerations in order from start to end. (Obviously any clothes he wore now were in the closet in his sparsely used room.)

The Doctor should not have been surprised when Koschei went directly to the far right. Honestly, he wouldn't have liked much from the male selection anyway. Kilts and great coats abound, but nothing that really would have suited him any better than Rory's clothes. At least anything of the Doctor's shrunk and grew depending on who was wearing it, which made things much more convenient.

Koschei and Amy passed by the clothes of his first self with nary a comment, dismissing it almost immediately. For his second, however, he was not so lucky.

"_Braces_?" Amy asked in an incredulous voice, holding the offending item up. "And more bowties? Have you always been fond of those things?"

The Doctor straightened his bowtie, feeling slightly hurt. "Bowties are cool."

Koschei laughed, pulling out a pair of green plaid trousers. "That's not even the worst of it," he said at Amy's shocked look. "Wait until we get to Five. He started getting into a bit of a question mark phase about that time." Amy's jaw dropped, and the Doctor huffed, making his way to Three without another try at defense, trying desperately to get the others to bypass it on to Four.

Unsurprisingly, Amy still paused, swishing out with- Oh God.

"Is this an opera cape?" She asked rhetorically. "'Oh look at me, I'm a big bad Time Lord come to save the day in a ruddy _opera _cape.' There's at least two others too! Have you always had horrible sense in fashion?" Koschei smirked, taking the emerald green version of the cape Amy had on and putting it on himself.

"Indeed he has. No one had ever given him a second glance. Lord knows how." the Doctor crossed his arms childishly. If they were just going to _mock_ him-

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of both capes being practically ripped off as Amy and Koschei ran like giddy schoolchildren at the sight of twin scarves.

Groaning, the Doctor followed, preparing to be mocked horribly for the 31 foot long, and he could admit this now, _monstrosities_.

Amy swung the red/burgundy/whatever the hell shades of red it was scarf over her shoulders, the colors blending in with her sweater, while Koschei took the rainbow scarf. Even wrapped round his neck loosely several times it still hung down to the floor.

The blond stifled a giggle at the look of almost-horror on the Doctor's face, taking one step before falling on his arse because of the scarf.

"How the hell did you walk in this thing?" He cried as Amy (who was almost a full half-foot taller than Koschei) burst out laughing, stumbling her way to the wall.

"I knew how to wear it right back then!" The other said, unwrapping the scarf and putting it on proudly. Alright, semi-proudly. His Fourth regeneration had been one of his best as well as one of his longest running, and other than the scarf he had been rather normal in appearance in comparison to some of his others. He shuddered to think of what they would say when they saw The Coat (which certainly deserved the capitalization, thankyouverymuch).

Amy stifled a snicker, walking easily over to the two with the scarf dragging behind her. She placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, a rather pitying look in her eyes.

"No offence, Doctor," she said in the kindest way possible. "But you clothing selection kid of sucks."

The older man opened his mouth, sucked in a deep breath, and nodded complacently. He had really only worn one kind of outfit through each regeneration, with only minor tweaks through the days and weeks and months. In all honesty, there really were only ten things for Koschei to choose from. He must have know what he was looking for though, because he'd made a direct beeline for this specific part of the wardrobe. Or perhaps he only wanted to mock. Mocking seemed incredibly likely right about then, considering he was now pointing Amy in the direction of a small mini fridge beside three cream blazers with red accents.

The ginger raised an eyebrow as she opened the small fridge and Koschei burst out laughing.

"Doctor…" she said slowly. "Why do you keep celery in a mini fridge in your _wardrobe_?"

Sniffing haughtily the Doctor straightened his bowtie. "Celery was cool. I pinned it to the blazers." It was in that moment when Amy joined Koschei in his mad fit of giggles.

"Yes, yes, very funny, I used to wear a vegetable." He said, dragging Amy by her sweater and Koschei by the collar of his shirt, the fantastic scarf not even touching the ground. He completely bypassed six (good Lord, that _coat_. He didn't even know what he'd been thinking with that!) and left the pair of them with barely enough time to comment on questions marks and such through seven and eight, and dropped them firmly off at nine. Koschei, having seen it all before, was in a mad giggle fit by the time the Doctor finally released them squarely at nine. Amy actually gaped, and Koschei didn't look much better.

There was a terribly long moment of silence as the companion and ex-enemy stared at the black pants and dark shirts hanging up beside a single leather jacket.

"What?" The Doctor exploded after a moment, not sure what they were seeing that was going to mock able but sure there was something.

"It's…" Amy began.

"…Normal." Koschei picked up, finger brushing the cool leather, which shrunk at his touch.

"Really normal," Amy agreed. "After all we've seen I didn't think you had a single thing which might be normal. A bit bad boy-ish, but there's no stripes or odd neckwear or outrageous colors or _anything_."

The Doctor pouted, glancing over at Koschei as the other Time Lord took down one of the darker shirts and the pants.

"And what are you so shocked about?" He asked. "You've seen me in every regeneration!"

Koschei paused, slipping into the leather smoothly. "Except this one. I saw you at Eight, we met twice during Ten, but I never -not once- saw you as Nine." He blinked, slipping into the nearby dressing room (of which there were several scattered about). "You actually had pretty good taste for this one. I like it. Very… me. I'd hate to see what you were like then though. There must've been something goofy to offset the cool."

A scoff, a moment of silence, and a begrudging answer, "the ears." Which sent Amy into yet another burst of giggles as she started making her way to the door. There were several, rather loud exclamations as she left, and the Doctor pointedly ignored every one. Though, in all honesty, it wasn't on purpose, because about the time Amy made it out of direct sight Koschei stepped out.

Leather jacket, dark blue shirt, and black pants in a pair of short boots.

He wasn't sure how long there was a sort of tense silence, Koschei rocking back and forth on the balls on his feet, hands in pockets, before the Doctor was able to come up with a semi-intelligent response.

"…Wow."

Okay, really not that intelligent.

Koschei gave that sarcastic smirk, spreading across his handsome face. "Like it then? I bet I could even nab your Captain Jack in this if I tried." The Doctor nodded dumbly.

"A lot cooler than bowties," he said after another moment. Koschei laughed.

{][][}

Rory sat under the TARDIS consol, finger laced under his chin. His eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation. There was something familiar about Koschei other than the whole Prime Minister thing. Something from his Roman days, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He scrounged through the memories, taking them bit by bit, but he still couldn't quite find it. He skipped, going nearer the twentieth century, to that brief layover in Cardiff…

A pair of warm arms wrapped around his neck, snapping him out of his memories just before he was able to reach what he was looking for. "What's wrong, stupid?" Amy said softly, and Rory smiled at her version of a pet name, fingers lacing with his wife's.

"How was the wardrobe?" He asked, , and Amy giggled.

"Ridiculous," she said, nuzzling his neck. "Promise me you will _never_ go in to the far right side. It was horrible! Scarves and rainbow coats everywhere1" He laughed, not wanting to even attempt picturing it.

There was a pause, and Amy sighed, breath ghosting over Rory's cheek. "I'm not going to ask again; what's wrong?"

He sighed, leaned back slightly. "It's Koschei. There's something about him I don't quite trust. I mean, obviously, but the Doctor only gave you a vague idea, which I'm assuming I got an even more vague one." He gave a brief huff, holding Amy's hand just a bit tighter. "I feel like I've heard about him before, from somewhere else. There's just something so familiar…"

Amy rolled her eyes, giving her husband a quick peck on the cheek. "That's because he posed as the British Prime Minister, idiot. Not someone you forget, Harold Saxon."

Even as he nodded in agreement Rory couldn't help but think that wasn't it.

{][][}

**A/N: :/ Not my favorite chapter so far. Grrr. Should've drawn out the wardrobe scene, yeah? If I ever re-do this I'll fix it. Prob'ly.**

**Other than that this actually turned out kind of good. *nudges Rory* You'll get it. Maybe. C: (-Master-esque evil grin. XD)**

***nonchalontly pushes readers to review button* C'mon... you know you've got opinions, questions... *pokes* Please?**

**~Piki :B**


	6. Photo Album

A quiet TARDIS, as one can imagine, is a very rare thing. There was always something whirring, something humming, some sort of noise, commonly quite loud ones. This night is was different. The TARDIS gave a steady pulse at the consol, and Amy and Rory snored in their bunks. In the library it was near silent, two people in the room. The Doctor, making quiet laps in the swimming pool, and Koschei, sitting in one of the plush chairs in the corner. A large tome lay over his lap, and he skimmed the pages almost mindlessly.

However, the book was not a book. No, that would be dull. That book he looked at, occasionally pausing, was a photo album (the Doctor had always enjoyed retro little things like physical photographs, even in his childhood). Scenes from the Academy days, back when they were eight and nine years old, up until the mid-twenties for the two of them. They'd been so happy back then, so close. Never seen without one another. Other Time Lord's had started rumors that they were actually brothers or were dating, but neither was true. They were just… them.

Keeping his face carefully blank Koschei skimmed. He didn't know how half of the picture's within had been taken, but they were all perfect. The two of them, smiling, laughing. It almost hurt, looking at what he had destroyed so long ago. It had been his own choice though. Well, sort of, but back then it was still mostly him. And he'd ruined every chance at redemption since then.

He allowed himself a small smile when he reached a picture of himself and Theta -because he had been Theta all those years ago-, running through those fields hand in hand. Two young boys, calling to the universe without a care in the world. It seemed like so long ago. Well, actually, it was. Nine hundred years…

_Shoving the Doctor away, disgusted with yourself for enjoying the contact. It felt so good, being able to look down on him for _once_. Crouching down, still above him, but closer to his level. So hard, so very hard, to ignore how much you crave that touch again._

"…_calling up at the sky. Look at us now."_

"…_How many people have you killed?"_

"_I am __so__ hungry."_

"Koschei!"

He blinked harshly, snapping the album on his lap shut. Koschei wondered how long he'd been staring into space, going down memory lane. Long enough for the Doctor to get out of the pool, towel off to where his hair fluffed up, and try and snap him out of it enough to get worried.

Tense shoulders loosen in relief, and the Doctor gave a small sigh. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come out of it." He smiled, showing just a few too many teeth. "Thinking of our past conquests?"

"_Please, listen."_

Koschei shook his head slightly. "No, not even close." Why did he say that? Why didn't he just agree? He'd always been so good at telling half-truths and lies without a second thought, and this was the time he decided not to be deceitful? What the _hell_?

The Doctor's brow furrowed slightly, grin decreasing just slightly. Oh shite, he was getting curious. A curious Doctor was never a good thing. Never, in all of Koschei's considerable years of experience had it been good for the Doctor to be interested in something. It ended in blood, in death, at it's worst, and it's best an intense humiliation burning deep in the pit of his stomach. There was already a bad start with that ever-growing ball of guilt.

"Oh," the other man said, running a hand through his dark locks. "Well then. I need to show you to your room." Which, if anyone had asked, Koschei would have said was a rather rubbish attempt at a subject change. Still, no one did ask, and he just went along with it.

"So you do." He agreed, "and a dressing gown would be good too."

Nodding, the Doctor went off and grabbed his discarded clothes and whistled all the way to the door. Koschei paused, setting the album on the nearest bookshelf before following. The TARDIS had changed since he'd last been there. It seemed as though the desktop wasn't the only thing that had changed, but the whole bloody ship. New corridors, dimmer lights, different set up. The Doctor even paused several times, orienting himself.

_One sign that you've changed your TARDIS too many times,_ Koschei thought, _you can still navigate her semi-fine even after it's been changed more times than you've changed out your companions._ He smirked, laughing inwardly at the joke. This seemed even more true as the Doctor made a sharp right turn, muttered something in some language Koschei had never paid attention to at the Academy, and whipped back around before Koschei could follow. Yes, he'd definitely changed the thing up too many times.

Other than the muttered curse(?) the entire walk was spent in silence. And a long walk it was, zigging and zagging every which way, going down stairs that should have gone up several times over, and overall seeming to get lost. Koschei knew that a good portion of the rooms they passed were meaningless, but _surely_ they must have passed a bedroom or six at some point? Honestly, the Doctor had taken enough strays that bedrooms should have been littered every which way.

Still, it was optimal time for thinking, that quiet. Just listening to echoing footsteps, the thrum of the walls. He was starting to get used to it, how there were no drums pounding against his skull. Those never ending drums - how he missed them. Maybe it had been for the better though. If Rassilon hadn't taken them out in those last few days of his memory then things would have been so different. The Doctor might not have been so… forgiving.

His brow furrowed slightly at the thought, the damnable scene from the junkyard flashing through his mind again. Why had the other Time Lord been so open? Koschei had been given so many chances, so many opportunities to change, and he'd never taken one of them. And when the Doctor had been weak from his attack, not even able to stand, what had he done? Pushed him back, kept him away. That's all he'd ever done since the drums started getting louder. What made him worthy of this? Being helped, offered yet another chance?

He should have still been in a cell on Gallifrey. He should have been getting the punishment for his actions that he so rightly deserved. Instead he had… this. This kindness, understanding. If the positions had been switched he knew he never would have offered so many chances to the Doctor. Probably would have killed him by now. He shuddered at the thought.

Finally, after what seemed like hours the Doctor stopped at a plain white door beside a rather more… blue counterpart. Koschei raised an eyebrow at the TARDIS blue door, but ignored it as the Doctor opened the white one

The room was rather basic, for the TARDIS. A full bed up against the far left wall, a small closet beside it. On the far right a door that likely lead to a bathroom. There was a small desk directly in front of the door with what looked like a shortened bar stool. The walls were a pale cream, the carpet a clashing dull grey with small specks of light blue.

Koschei walked in, feeling a small wariness building in his chest. Surely these were just temporary? Somewhere to put him before the Doctor dropped him off at UNIT of Torchwood or wherever? He turned to the Doctor, a questioning look on his face. The other Time Lord just shrugged.

"Obviously the décor is just temporary. I thought a blank slate would have been better than whatever room I thought would suit you best. So you could pick yourself, I mean. You pick how you want it and I'll re-do the room tomorrow." He smiled and Koschei blinked, surprised. Okay, this had to be just because the Doctor wanted to make sure he was stable enough mentally to get rid of. He couldn't honestly be thinking of letting Koschei stay, right? After all he'd done this just had to be a short-term solution! …Right?

"Sounds… good," he agreed, confusion coloring his tone. The Doctor didn't seem to notice, beaming.

"Fantastic! There should be a CD played and a few CD's in the top left drawer if you need something to distract you during the night." Koschei nodded dully, taking out the mentioned CD player and plugging it in, sticking in the first CD he found. Still, the Doctor hovered by the door, shuffling his weight from foot. Koschei sighed, plopping down on his bed. They stared at each other for a moment, and the Doctor stepped forward, shutting the door behind him before sitting on the stool.

It took a second before he spoke, chin resting on his knuckles. "What's wrong, Kosch? You've been acting weird since I gave you the clothes." _Gave you_. Not _let you borrow_ or _lent you_. _Gave you_. Koschei's brow furrowed. This whole situation was just confusing. He knew the Doctor would be getting rid of him soon enough, so why all this? The room, the clothes, the CD player. It didn't make sense.

He just shrugged though, taking off the leather jacket and folding it under the bed before lying back with closed eyes. "Nothing's wrong, Doctor." The other Time Lord tutted quietly, like you would to a ignorant child.

"You know you could never lie to me, Kosch. I always found you out." He gave the smallest of smirks. Koschei sighed, shaking his head.

"Nothing is wrong, I can promise you that." And nothing was wrong. If anything everything was very, very right, and that scared him. Because every time things started going his way it fell apart in his hands. Blow after crushing blow, he simply expected it now. The Doctor obviously had to be planning on sending him off, because it made sense. Who in their right mind would willingly keep a (former) criminally insane Time Lord who had tried taking over the universe in their TARDIS?

_The Doctor's never been in his right mind,_ a small, hopeful voice whispered somewhere in his mind. He ignored it.

The Doctor stood up, seemingly to leave the room, before sitting down next to Koschei's laying form on the bed. Koschei cracked open an eye suspiciously, but the Doctor didn't do anything. Just sat there, the only movement the slight rise and fall of his shoulders with each breath.

"What were you thinking about earlier?" Koschei gave him a puzzled look he couldn't see. "I mean in the library, looking at that picture. What were you thinking of?"

For one brief moment Koschei froze. It felt like his hearts had stopped, that he couldn't take in air. That he wasn't alive, just _there_. The moment passed, but the sensation made a chill go up his spine.

"I was thinking about that first minute in the junkyard." Koschei said through no will of his own. It was like his brain had opened the filter between what he thought and said. "Pushing you back, feeling so much power but hating it. I had that power, but to maintain it I had to keep a distance so I couldn't touch you. I wanted so badly to, to know that I wasn't alone again, but I couldn't."

The Doctor turned, eyes wide in surprise, and Koschei closed his eyes again. He couldn't do this. He _shouldn't_ do this. Mind and body alike tired and weak, Rassilon knew what he might end up saying and regretting.

He felt the Doctor shift, probably facing him know. This was all but confirmed when he felt a warm hand brush down him arm before taking his hand.

"Talk to me, Kosch."

Koschei turned stubbornly, not bother to take his hand back. Still, he complied. "What's the point in all this, Doctor?" He said ruefully.

The grasp on his hand tightened slightly. "What?"

Hand going limp Koschei turned, curling his knees closer to his chest, every ounce of fight draining from his body.

"All of this. What's the point in all of this. It's not as though I'm staying here. You and I both know that I'll be dropped off with Torchwood or UNIT or what have you as soon as bloody possible. So why the room? The clothes? Trying to lull me into a false sense of security that I don't even think I could fake anymore? Since I'm already damn well expecting it why can't you just get it over with?" Through the whole thing his voice stayed quiet, tone resigned to his fate. Again the Doctor's grip on his hand tightened. Koschei winced, remembering the sensation of bone grating against bone.

"What did they do to you, Kosch?" He asked, sorrow staining the words worse than any rage could. "I've only ever wanted you to get better; for us to see the stars together. I wouldn't- I will never make you leave unless you want to."

Finally, Koschei yanked his hand back, holding it to his chest. "Get out."

A pleading look crossed the other Time Lord's face. "Kosch, we need-"

"Get out!" Koschei shouted.

Silently, the Doctor stood, and a moment later the door clicked shut.

{][][}

**A/N: One whole chapter with only the final page break... o.o Cool. That's never happened before. Yay!**

**Ummm... Yeah. Short AN is short. XD**

**~Piki :B**


	7. Today I Had to Forgive Myself

The rest of the night was peaceful, and the day uneventful. Koschei assumed the Doctor was "respecting his personal boundries" and Rory was content wandering about the TARDIS. Amy though… he hadn't the faintest where Amy could be.

He spent the hours staring up at the ceiling, refusing to move one inch. Thoughts crossed through his mind, whizzing by. He wonders if he deserved this (he didn't), he thinks about how long it will be before it ends (of course he hopes for forever), and the thing he always comes back to is whether the Doctor had truly forgiven him (probably not). If he was being given one last chance. Of course, he thinks he'll screw it up royally, but if he can just… not be himself, maybe things would be okay.

Near the end of the day he decided to try and erase his previous memories. Anything having to do with the Time War or his past deeds. It would simply have to go. It was soon after deciding this that he realized how difficult it would be. One couldn't simply blink and toss out nine hundred years of memories. It didn't work like that.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

Blinking he inclined his head toward the door, surprised to fine that, yes, someone had knocked.

"Come in," he said, confusion layering his voice. The door handle slowly turned to reveal Amy trying to manouver with two mugs of tea in hand. She quickly handed one to Koschei, setting the other on the desk. She shot him a quick smile, taking a sip from her tea. Koschei followed, albeit a bit more hesitantly. He was satisfied to find the tea didn't have a bitter after taste, nor the tell-tale signs of asprin.

Amy paused a moment, letting a comfortable quiet fall over the room. "What's wrong?" She asked, raising an eyebrow when Koschei choked on air. "I mean, you haven't been out of here all day, and the Doctor's been _quiet_ while working on the TARDIS, so it's obviously something. Think of me like a neutral but concerned party."

The blond blinked at her before shaking his head. "Thank you for the interest, Doctor Pond," he said sarcastically, "but there's no need. Just a bit of confusion on my part which the Doctor didn't clarify."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, because I was born yesterday and haven't noticed how our other Time Lord keeps wiping at his eyes and pointedly avoiding his room when he needs things from it because you're next door." Koschei's brow furrowed. "I promise I won't tell dad." She added a bit belatedly.

Again Koschei shook his head, though a bit more uncertainly. Amy felt a swell of pride, though it quickly crashed to the ground. She'd always been so good at manipulating people, making them see her reasoning, but this was the one time she felt bad for doing it. Because this man in front of her… the insecurity was bubbling just beneath the surface, she could see it, and she took advantage of that. _Was_ taking advantage of that.

_It's to help him, _she thought, mentally steeling herself. _He needs to get this out or he won't heal, and the Doctor is too emotional._

Without another moment she stood up, taking Koschei's tea and setting it on the desk before pulling him into a tight hug. The form under her stiffened, shocked, before trying to worm away. Amy let him, sitting beside him on the bed. One arm carefully snaked its way over his scrawny shoulders

Keeping her eyes forward she spoke, keeping her voice low and soothing and maybe laying on her accent just a bit thicker than usual. "The Doctor said you were trapped in that Time War thing. He said that you sacrificed yourself to send them all back, and I don't care if your motivations were selfish, it was a good thing. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, because you weren't in control of yourself and you can't change that now. So let that go. Keep it with you, but don't keep it so close.

"Now I want you to talk to me. I don't care what about. It could be what happened on Gallifrey, or what you're feeling now, or about the bloody tea. I just think you need to talk to someone." Koschei shuddered, and she pulled him into closer. "Something terrible happened, a lot of somethings, and you aren't going to be okay until you let it out."

Koschei shook his head, burying his head in the crook of Amy's neck. "I don't- I shouldn't- I should still be back there. I was there for _six weeks_. Six weeks, hurt and heal but keep the pain; exactly what I deserve. Why was I allowed to leave that? There were others, so many others, that were so much better - that should have been given an _escape _to that hell."

"Oh Koschei…" She brought a hand up, fingers curling through the oily locks. "No one, no matter what they've done, deserved that. You were given another chance at life. Don't waste it with… this." He shook his head, silent tears running down his face.

"I won't be here long, so don't waste your time." He whispered, voice hoarse. "He'll drop me off as soon as he gets the chance, I know he will. Who would keep a _disease_ like me? All I know how to do is kill and destroy, and nothing else is expected of me. Even if I changed, just the tiniest bit, he'd get rid of me. I'm not _good_."

"Koschei, that's not-"

He jerked back sharply, tears streaming down his face. "Don't you dare tell me it isn't true!" He shouted, voice accusing. "You know what I've done! Would you _honestly_ allow _me_ to stay in something like the TARDIS? Would you let a thing -an evil thing that has only _killed_ and _decimated_ and _demolished_- like me stay with you? Travel with you like-like I'm something more than a _monster_?" He barked out a harsh laugh. "I certainly wouldn't. I'd get _rid of_ _it_."

Amy stared at him with wide green eyes, shocked stiff, before pulling the Time Lord back into a fierce hug. "You aren't a thing or an it or a monster," she said, voice holding that purely _Amy _sureness; the kind that made old men agree that it was time for coffee or convince a child to break the rules for a good reason. "You are _Koschei_. You're a Time Lord who was treated like a means to an end when you are so much more than that. Listen to yourself talking. A _thing_ wouldn't be trying to work through this. An _it_ wouldn't despise how they were used as a tool. A _monster_ wouldn't regret what they'd done enough to refuse a good thing because they don't feel they deserve it even though they do. I'm not entierly sure what those drums did to you, and I don't have the details on everything you've done, but I know enough to see that you've changed, and you are _so. Much. Better._"

The smaller man jerked again, but Amy held him tight. "You can't argue with me. I won't allow it. I know you Koschei. You need to leave what you've done behind. You have a fresh start, a whole new life in front of you, and you can't waste it on the what you've done in the past."

She felt Koschei shake his head against her chest. "He won't forgive me. I wouldn't." She chuckled slightly, rubbing a hand down his back.

"Yes, well, I think we've established that you're a bit crap with self-forgiveness." Koschei replied with a watery little laugh, the sound not quite as hollow as before. She loosened her clutch, giving him leeway to move away if he needed to. He didn't, staying against her, and he felt lighter somehow.

After a moment he pulled back again, wiping stubbornly at his eyes. "He still won't forgive me - not fully, anyway," he said pointedly. "I've known him for over nine hundred years, most of which were spent with me trying to kill him. You don't forgive that with the snap of a finger."

Nodding, Amy hummed in quiet agreement. "Then I suppose you just have to wait a bit longer than the snap of a finger. Maybe the thrum of a TARDIS with the parking break on?"

He chuckled, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I will."

The ginger beamed at him, standing abruptly and ignoring the cold tea on the desk. "Well, I'm starving and you're skinnier than most sticks. How does some food sound?"

Koschei gave a small grimace. "Absolutely revolting," he answered bluntly. Amy gave a brief frown, looking very much like a ten-year-old unused to not getting her way.

"Well then," she said, grabbing his wrist. "I suppose that just means you'll have to be force-fed.

The Time Lord scowled, but let himself be dragged from the room.

{][][}

Sitting moodily at the kitchen table on the other side of the TARDIS sat the Doctor, sucking the custard off a fish finger absently. Rory had left about an hour before, Amy three, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Of course, there were the usual odd ones that crossed his mind involving other planets and species and the universe in general, but those barely occupied any space in his brain at all even when he _was_ focused on them. No, his mad mind was filled with Koschei. The big, complicated problem that was Koschei, of course, not anything Jack Harkness worthy.

As one can imagine, the main problem he was pondering was the fact Koschei was still so… fragile. After whatever it was the Time Lord's had done besides take out the drums had clearly done far more harm than they'd thought. Actually, a good portion of these problems were probably because the drums had been taken out. They had blocked out so much through the Master's whole life -emotions, his conscience, who he should have been- that now that it was all flooding back he was going through a sort of overload of pure _feeling._ The Doctor had seen it before on a much less grand scale, with Miss Hartigan. This was so much worse, and Koschei wasn't equiped to handle it.

To the very least he had gotten over the issues with issues with silence rather quickly. One less thing the younger man had to deal with.

Which brought up another problem. After having who-knows-what done to him over who-knows-how-long on top of having the new guilt Koschei wasn't what one would call "trusting". the Doctor knew, of course, that it would come with time in small incriments, but for someone who was used to being trusted with lives after minutes of walking into any sort of situation it did make him feel a bit… hurt. At the same time Koschei didn't know this regeneration, so of course he wouldn't assume anything.

He was desperate yet so afraid to be forgiven. The thing was, after almost three years of not having the Master around, two of which were spent alone, the Doctor had forgiven him. There would always be that little niggling amount of distrust -like when a friend pushed you off after knowing you for years and then welcomed you back with open arms- but for the most part he'd let go all of the Master's deeds, and it was clear how Koschei was so very different from his previous self.

On top of it all was the suspicion that had clearly been gnawing at Koschei through everything. That feeling of "he'll drop me off the next quiet moment, the next time we land". After all these years the Doctor was just a bit upset about the assumption that he would _ever_ do something like that, though he supposed he could understand it. After everything most people would simply lock Koschei up and throw away the key without a second thought. The thing was, the Doctor wasn't _people._

_Well,_ he thought, finally biting into the soggy fish finger, _I suppose I'll just have to show him that._

{][][}

**A/N: Yay! Comforting!Amy and slightly-less-damaged!Koschei! ^_^ And all wrapped up with a contemplating!Doctor bow...tie.**

***gaping like a fish on land* Looked at how many reviews I've gotten on this today. _Thirty-nine. _(Which most certainly deserved the italics and underlining.) That is the _most_ reviews I have ever had on a fanfic. Period. Full stop. *huggles everybody who's reviewed/plans on reviewing* You guys are amazing! And, and this is the amazing thing, most of them aren't the crap "Love it, write more!" type of reviews (not to say thoes are crap, because they do brighten my day). These are real, constuctive "this is what I liked, this is what I thought, let me tell you why" reviews, which is a really cool thing to the person who does mostly get the crappy little reviews that take no more than five seconds to type, which just makes you guys even _more_ amazing!**

***throws party, giving away John-jumpers, Sherlock-scarves, Master-hoddies, and fez+bowtie combos***

**I can not tell you guys how unbelieveably hard it was to do the Doctor's bit in this chapter, I really can't. He can be such a pain in the arse to write sometimes...**

**Awww. :( No Rory in this one. Never fear though! Our favorite Roman is coming up in the next chapter!**

**~Piki :B**


	8. Roranicus

There was a quiet knock on the door and Koschei blinked blearily as he picked his head off the desk. He groaned slightly as he tried to remember how the hell he ended up slouched in his chair rather than in bed. He looked down at himself. And still fully clothed. Damn. A leather jacket was not the type of thing which could be slept in so now he'd have to wash the thing. That would be an unpleasant way to waste a couple hours.

Another knock at the door and Koschei was surprised to realize that someone was kicking at the bottom of the door. "Kosch? Tray's getting heavy. Can you let me in?" The Doctor's voice wafted through the wood and far slower than necessary Koschei got up and opened the door, motioning for the Time Lord to come in. If they could both ignore what had happened two days previous then everything would pan out perfectly. Luckily the Doctor seemed to be as good at pushing aside the elephant in the room as Koschei was because he didn't say a word about it. That could have been because he was more focused with taking the tray of a full breakfast for the two of them to the desk though.

Koschei smirked, taking one of the forks off the tray and taking a bite of the scrambled eggs on the side. Clearly it was the Doctor's cooking - it had that odd taste of alien cuisine that the TARDIS never put in Earth food. His brow furrowed at a small bowl near one of the corners.

"Jelly babies?" He questioned and the Doctor paused as he took a bite of French toast with a bit of ketchup dripping off of it to his mouth. "You haven't kept those around since Four." He poked one with his fork briefly remembering Lucy. She'd loved them after he introduced them to her. Her sweet tooth had been almost as bad as his.

The Doctor's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I figured you still had that sweet tooth - you do with every regeneration - so I picked some up." He quickly covered his hand with his mouth. "Darn it!"

The blond paused and continued to eat his food calmly. "So we've landed then?" He asked rhetorically. "We'll be out after breakfast then. I need to get out of here." He took a sip from his coffee and pretended he didn't want to dump milk and sugar into it. How did humans _stand_ the stuff straight? It was terrible!

The Doctor shook his head. "We, err, can't. I mean, we could, but I really would prefer someone stay in the TARDIS and the Ponds' are out and about, you know?" Koschei felt a small bubble of irritation come to rest.

"Well then _you_ can stay in the TARDIS because I'm going out." Koschei stood stubbornly and pulled his jacket just a bit tighter as he made his way for the consol room.

"Koschei!" The Doctor called behind him, going at a brisk jog as he followed his friend through the halls. "Koschei, that's really not a good idea! Why can't we just stay here, look around a bit? I haven't gotten the chance to map out the old girl yet." A tinge of desperation tinged his voice, but Koschei ignored it, instead throwing open the front door.

Brisk Cardiff air assaulted his nose and he could see the overcast sky on the horizon. The strong smell of water mingled with the purely '07 Cardiff, so they were probably near the bay. Which meant the TARDIS needed refueling.

Koschei would remember all of this later, but right then, standing in the door, he felt a sharp prick in his neck.

_I knew it,_ he thought, and slumped into the waiting arms of Captain Jack Harkness.

{**One**][**Hour**][**Earlier**}

"Cardiff!" Amy said, munching absently on her chips as Rory tried to keep up with her. "I mean, it is a nice city, but I never thought _this_ is where the TARDIS would come to refuel!" She gave a bit of a twirl, her red scarf floating around her. For one moment she looked like magic and Rory smiled. He had no idea how he'd gotten so lucky as to have this fantastic woman as his wife, but he enjoyed every single second.

"I saw a little gallery about two blocks back - blown glass and stuff. Giant eye in the window. Wanna go?" Rory laughed to himself quietly, nodding.

"Sure. I'm gonna get a coffee first though. D'you want anything?" Amy gave his that "are you stupid?" look and motioned to her chips. Rory nodded and like a flash of red and ginger Amy was rushing around the corner. "See you in ten!" He called to her."

"Yeah babe!" Amy called back, popping her head around the corner briefly. With a bit of a cheeky grin she was off again.

Rory shook his head fondly as he went into the nearest Costa's. The place wasn't busy with just two men sitting in the corner. One looked oddly familiar, but it was probably just the clothes. The greatcoat looked like something he'd seen his granddad wear in old pictures. The other was younger, taller, and much more professional looking. Rory absently wondered if they knew how much they looked like a couple, sitting across from each other and stealing bits of cupcake off each other's plates. Then again, maybe they were and just didn't care. It was the twenty-first century after all.

There was the buzzing of a cell phone as Rory placed his order (medium Italian roast coffee with milk) and soon after a disappointed groan. "Come on, Yan, we just got out of the office!" Greatcoat whined. The younger bloke shrugged helplessly as he slipped on a jacket.

"Sorry Jack. Tosh says she needs me for something." He smiled slightly as he snatched his coffee and ran for the door.

Taking his coffee slowly Rory turned around, catching another glimpse of the greatcoat guy. The other man stood up, not seeming to notice Rory staring, and brought his plate to the vacated counter. For a beat there was silence.

"Roranicus?" The man said behind him and Rory froze with his hand halfway to the door. The only people that had called him that had been in his Roman days and no one (except him, Amy, the Doctor, and River) should have remembered that. He turned on his heel and stared at the other man in the shop. The man sighed.

"Damn. You don't remember me, do you?" He said in an American accent. "Well, two thousand years. What can you do? The encounter was rather short, although unfortunately there was no _encounter_." He winked suggestively, a slow smirk spreading across his face. It reminded Rory of the Captain of the old Star Trek films when he was picking up the shag of the show.

_Oh God, he is flirting with me,_ Rory thought helplessly. He coughed, taking an awkward sip of his coffee. He still had five minutes before Amy would be expecting him.

"I'm married," he said bluntly. The American cocked an eyebrow.

"And that guy who just left is my boyfriend. Doesn't mean that there isn't a foursome in our future." He stuck out a hand, posture military stiff. "Captain Jack Harkness. The Pandorica's brief stop at the Cardiff museum before returning to London, if that jogs you memory." Rory's eyes widened. "You traveling with the Doctor? Well, I hope, because this certainly isn't 2010 where you belong."

Stunned, Rory stuttered out the most intelligent response he could. "Ye-yeah. We, um, we actually just picked up this bloke - he kind of landed in our back yard four years from now and the Doctor said to take him along. Koschei; quite nice, bit skittish." He shrugged, sipping at his coffee again. A look he couldn't quite identify crossed over Jack's face.

"Koschei?" Jack said, voice harder than stone. "Did he call himself the Master at first? Has he at all?"

"Well, yeah, I suppo…" He trailer off, stories from bored nights talking in Cardiff museum flashing through his head.

"_He killed off my whole team right in front of me. Enslaved the whole human race. The Year That Never Was. Be glad you don't remember it, Rory."_

"He's on the TARIDS." Rory said, eyes wide. "Oh God, we left him alone with the Doctor on the TARDIS."

Jack's gaze hardened dangerously. "Where's the TARDIS?"

"Down-down by Cardiff Bay."

And in a swirl of blue Jack was out the door, leaving Rory stunned in the small Costa's.

{][][}

**A/N: Well... isn't that a disappointing end to my mysterious "what does Rory remember?" bit? XD Still, I'm quite happy with this chapter.**

**Huge thanks to smiles2go for mentioning jelly babies in her last review! For the longest time I couldn't figure out how to start this chapter (which is why there was such a delay) and then I re-read the reviews and there it was. Thank smiles2go everybody! ^_^**

**Hope everyone liked it. Ya'll know where to drop those reviews in your head. (Nearly fifty now! *is getting really rather more excited about this than she should be* This. Is. Epic!)**

**~Piki :B**


	9. Amy Will Kill You All

**Warnings: Violence, moderate/strong language, brief and mild slash (sorry Leona. But hell, it's canon.).**

{][][}

Koschei woke slowly, his mind in a blur. He could vaguely feel that he was sitting up and that there were handcuffs around his wrists. There were two voices nearby talking in hushed whispers. One was a polite Welsh, soft and rather mesmerizing. The other was more blunt with a harsher south London.

"…Know who he is, Ianto?" Said the harsher voice in an impatient tone.

"I just don't know, Owen! Jack didn't say a thing except that he was incredibly dangerous." _Is that why I'm handcuffed?_ Koschei moved experimentally. _With my legs tied to the chair which I think is bolted to the ground. My God my head hurts. Why does it hurt?_

"He's wakin' up." Owen said. "Let's go get Jack." The sound of their retreating footsteps reverberated around the room and Koschei forced his eyes open. The room was blank and grey and there was a cot to his right. Ahead of him was a glass door. He blinked slowly, trying to move his head around to see behind him, but a leather collar around his neck restricted the movement. He shuddered at the thought as he remembered the last time he'd been in a collar.

_No Time Lord's here, _he reassured himself.

Another set of footsteps coming toward the cell and suddenly he remembered why he was there. The Doctor had landed in Cardiff to drop him off with Torchwood and Captain Freak had come by to pick him up when he'd been trying to leave. He clenched his teeth at the thought. The moment he had decided to try and _trust_ and _believe_ that maybe the Doctor wouldn't pawn him off because of his past… It stung if he was to be honest. It hurt so much more than he thought it would.

"Good morning," an overly cheery American accent said in front of him and Koschei's head snapped up. Harkness looking so damn _smug_.

"Where's the Doctor?" Koschei asked, a small semblance of hope lighting in his chest. Maybe Jack had just searched him out and the Doctor hadn't been involved at all. Maybe he was outside the Hub's door…

"In the TARDIS," Jack said with a shrug. "Probably on his way by now." He grinned, malice radiating out of ever pore. Koschei couldn't help but shrink back a bit, fear shining in his dark eyes. He'd seen that look on so many faces and he had a feeling he wasn't in Jack's good graces to be healed after each time he got hurt. The Time Lord's had at least taken that pity on him.

The immortal bust out laughing, taking another step forward. "What, _Master_? Scared of little old me?" He grabbed the back of the chair and delivered a hard punch to Koschei's abdomen, knocking the wind out of the Time Lord. He leaned down, breath ghosting over the blonde's ear. "Because you should be. You really, really should be. Because you know what _Master_? It's payback time."

Koschei gasped for breath, trying desperately to get air back into his lungs. "I'm… not… the Master," he wheezed. Jack smirked.

"Really? I mean, you've got a new hair color and the wardrobe is an improvement I will admit, but you are still the Master." He paused, one eyebrow quirking in amusement. "Unless you want me to call you Koschei. Was that your plan, Master? Put on a new name, act like you'd changed, and then stab the Doctor in the back when he least expected it? Did you really expect that to _work_?" He chuckled to himself.

"No," Koschei said quietly. "No I didn't. Because there was no fucking _plan_ Harkness." He grinned with bravado he didn't have and wasn't surprised when he received a hard punch to the jaw for his troubles. His smiled widened as blood trickled down his chin and he spit out the blood welling in his mouth right on the cocky bastard's greatcoat. Jack stepped back with a curse, a scowl marring his features. Koschei went on, if only because he could. They'd have to gag him or knock him out to shut him up.

"You see, Harkness, I was thrown into the Time Lock on Gallifrey during the Time War. You remember the Doctor mentioning the Time War doncha Jackie boy? Well, I got out and I don't know how I'm not here for anything. I'm not here for your goddamn planet or the universe - I've given that up." He snarled. "You can do what you want and I deserve it, but you know what? _It won't matter_. I don't matter, so my suffering doesn't. Get your revenge, Freak, because I'll take it with a smile and a scream." The older man grinned, crouching down to where they were eye to eye.

"Really, Master?" He pulled a small remote from his pocket. "Prove it." And he pressed the button and walked out.

Koschei screamed at the pain radiating from the collar as it filled his body.

{][][}

"Doctor!"

This is what Amy cried when she walked into the TARDIS when she and Rory came back. The Time Lord was limp on the floor, clearly unconscious. Koschei was nowhere in sight.

The brunette groaned, green eyes flickering open at the sound of his friend's voice. A second later he snapped up, face contorted in horror. "Koschei!" He shouted, turning to the Pond's. "Where's Koschei? Did you already take him down to the infirmary? His room, my room maybe?" Amy shook her head helplessly and Rory fidgeted nervously.

"He wasn't here when we came in, Doctor." She said slowly. "Should he have been? Did he do this to you? The TARDIS door was cracked open when we came in…"

The Doctor groaned as he placed his head in his hands. "No. No, this is bad. Torchwood, bloody Torchwood. If he'd given me the time to explain…" Rory stiffened from his spot by the door, slowly closing the opening and not making another move.

"What happened?" Amy said furiously. The Doctor groaned again.

"This old friend of mine -Captain Jack Harkness- runs this thing called Torchwood that protects the Earth from alien threats. Well, Captain Jack was kind of there during the Year That Never Was and was one of the Master's favorite torture victims at the time and his whole team was kind of killed in front of him." He sighed. "Well, this old friend kind of showed up at the TARDIS door while Koschei was about to leave and drugged him, then knocked me out before I could explain that Koschei is good now. What I don't get is how he knew Koschei was even here." He made a noise of frustration, pushing the cowlick out of his face. Rory seemed to freeze for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Erm… I might know how he knew…" He said quietly and Amy turned sharply on him.

"Rory," she said, her voice deadly calm. "What do you know?"

Her husband shrugged in a sort of hopeless manner. "Well, I might've run into Harkness. We kind of chatted a bit when I was a Roman - you made a brief trip here about ten years before the universe was re-booted. I may have mentioned Koschei." A flicker of rage crossed through his eyes. "We actually talked about the Master back then, Doctor. In detail, which you seem incredibly reluctant to do."

There was a moment of silence as he made his way over to the Doctor, standing to his full height. "What. Were. You. Thinking?" He said, voice low. "After everything he did in _one bloody year_. One-tenth of the world' population, Doctor! Did you ever think, for one second, that he might be trying to play you? That you were putting_ my wife_ in danger?"

The next second the Doctor was on the ground clutching his jaw.

"What were you thinking when you let him on the TARDIS?" Rory continued. "That he'd just come back from the impossible and you could try and fix him again? _You can't fix something shattered_! Even if he doesn't have the drums what makes you think the insanity didn't have stayed? _What?_"

There was a sort of stunned silence as Rory -polite, calm, down to Earth Rory- had to force himself not to shout and actually failed a bit. The next second Amy took a few calm steps forward, turned her husband around, and slapped him as hard as she possibly could. Rory gave a shout as he clutched his stinging cheek, slowly coming back to himself. He blinked, shocked, as he realized what he'd just done.

"So!" The Doctor said loudly as he sprang to his feet. "We need to get Koschei back before Jack decides it's a good idea to kill him. Which means I need to find Torchwood Cardiff… Hm. Never actually been before. I'll do that while you two work through your… stuff. Rory, all's forgiven."

"No, it's not." Amy disagreed, glaring green daggers of death at her husband. The Doctor's brow furrowed.

"Okay, scratch that then. Rory, all's not forgiven until Amy says so." And with that he bounded back to the consol. Rory gulped as his wife leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching.

"Don't talk about my baby boy like that," she said dangerously and whirled off. Suddenly that red scarf floating around her didn't seem so magical.

No, it was just plain terrifying.

{][][}

"Is he still screaming?" Ianto jumped slightly as he turned to Jack from watching the Master's CCTV footage.

"You scared me," he admonished, turning back to the screen. "And yeah, he is."

Jack's brow furrowed. "I turned off the collar almost twenty minutes ago."

Ianto shrugged. "Yes, well, he's more cursing us all out in as many languages as possible rather than screaming in pain." He cocked his head, finger going up to his earpiece. "That sounded… incredibly pretty bu was probably incredibly offensive."

The immortal shrugged it off, giving his boyfriend a quick kiss on the forehead. "Probably Gallifreyan."

{][][}

**A/N: I know this should now be in the magical little crossover section... I can't bring myself to put it there, because over there no one will care like you guys do, and you guys are eeeeepppppiiiiiiccccc. ^_^**

**Rawr! Another chapter I'm not quite satisfied with! (I wanted more PO'd Amy, most Koschei/Jack interaction. Clearly it didn't work out like that.) Hell though, what else is new?**

**So, erm, yeah. Press that pretty review button, or Koschei gets it!  
>Koschei: *grumbling* Not like you haven't already piled on the angst, added a nice bit of what I think is betrayel, and then put on a bit of abuse as icing on the cake.<br>Me: *smacks Koschei* Shut up or I'll let in Jackie boy.  
>Koschei: *mimes locking lips and throwing away the key sarcastically*<strong>

**~Piki :B **


	10. Yes I Do

Koschei refused to give Jack any satisfaction.

He'd been there, in that room, for nearly three hours. Jack had come in on and off, each visit a bit longer than the last. He'd been in for nearly a half hour now, each blow getting more precise and more painful. He was out of the chair, on his knees, waiting as Jack gathered himself as waves of pain came from whatever device was on the collar. Still, he refused to beg or plead for mercy he knew he wouldn't get. He would not let himself be broken to a further extent. Not by the Freak.

"Jack," the polite Welshman from earlier said, poking his head into the room and avoiding looking at Koschei. "There's someone who wants to see you in the Tourist Office. Well, a few someone's. Umm, Ror-something, I wanna say." Jack paused, tapping his chin with the scalpel-like tool he was about to use before tossing it away, walking for the door. Koschei averted his head slightly (most would have called it flinching), just missing being cut with the sharp object.

Ianto stayed behind, standing awkwardly in the doorway and averting his gaze. "I don't know what you did," he said slowly, "and I don't think I want to, but you must deserve this." Koschei sighed, allowing his head to droop just a bit, his shoulders to sag.

"I do," he agreed. "With all I've done I really, really do. Hope he draws it out as long as he bloody can." Ianto blinked, stunned, and turned his gaze to the other man. He really was in a state. On his knees, hands cuffed behind his back with a multi-colored bruise flowering on his cheek and down his jaw.

Dark eyes pierced into him and Ianto shifted uncomfortably. He'd seen files on Time Lord's - he knew their bodies changed as a way to cheat death. But seeing that ancient knowledge, the burning of hundreds of years, in that deep brown… It was disconcerting. The only other time he'd seen eyes that old and that guilty had been when talking to a _very_ drunk Jack. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.

The Time Lord's mouth moved, just slightly, and Ianto cocked his head to one side. "Pardon?" He said politely, avoiding looking into that dark gaze again.

"I killed you," Koschei said again. "It was a long time ago - you shouldn't remember it. Took three days before you finally went. Jack damn near escaped and strangled me. Would've if I hadn't had guards with me." He frowned slightly. "Ianto Jones. Essentially John Smith to you Welsh, am I right? God you were fun." He looked vaguely sick as he said the words. Ianto couldn't help but take a half step back.

"I-I should go check on the Hub." Ianto said nervously and hurriedly made his way from the room.

He didn't see the pleading eyes or hear the desperate "I'm sorry!" that echoed through the room.

{][][}

When Jack made it to the Tourist Office he was unsurprised to find Rory waiting for him. What he was surprised by was the fact that Rory was behind a rather angry looking ginger woman looking like a scolded dog. Nor did he expect the man in the tweed jacket and bowtie (which, Jack would admit, did look rather nice with the floppy hair) waiting patiently behind them.

It took Jack a whole ten seconds to realize the man was the Doctor. The new Doctor. The Doctor that he had drugged in his own TARDIS so he could get the Master out of there before he could instigate any of his plans. Surely the Time Lord would understand he was trying to prevent another Year That Never Was?

Immediately the ginger stalked over to him and Jack would have been lying if he said he was expecting the harsh slap he got.

"What the hell?" He cried, grabbing at his stinging cheek. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been slapped by someone -male or female- but it certainly was the first for a reason he couldn't comprehend. The woman glared at him as though he had caused her some sort of personal offence. Hell, maybe he would.

The Doctor took a nervous step forward, body teeming with barely contained energy. "Where's Koschei?" He said simply. No explanation behind the sudden slap or why they were there (though the question was an explanation in itself), just that. Jack gave him a withering look.

"I'm not letting you go down to see him." He replied, tone brokering no argument as he put on his best "Captain Harkness" look. The Doctor shrugged as he stuck his hands nonchalantly in his pockets.

"I'm not asking to see him," he said and Jack nearly sighed in relief. "No, I'm telling you that I am going to go down, unlock him from whatever cell you've put him in, and bring him back to the TARDIS and it honestly would be easier if you told me where he is instead of me having to look around everywhere for him." The ginger bristled slighted and Rory seemed to be trying to make an escape for the door. Jack held firm.

"You will not, I repeat _will not_, be taking the Master out of Torchwood. After everything he's done do you honestly think he's just changed? That he won't try to overpower you and destroy the universe again?" The ginger woman answered for him.

"Yes." She said, pushing her way past the older man. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"And who, may I ask, are you?"

The woman glared, arms crossing over her chest in defiance. "Amelia Jessica Pond. This stupid lumps wife," she motioned to Rory, "his traveling companion," a nod to the Doctor, "and I believe you have my boy in one of you cells. So, if you'd kindly let me in so I don't have to have the Doctor go all Oncoming Storm on your sorry arse…" Jack suppressed the urge to swallow. Intimidating the Doctor may have been, but this woman -this Amelia Jessica Pond- couldn't hold that much power over him…

…But Koschei just might.

"Do you know what the Master did?" He asked by way or retaliation. Anything to get them to see _reason_. The Master was dangerous and couldn't be trusted. It was better if he was just dealt with. And if Jack got to have a bit of revenge along the way? Well, that was just icing on the cake.

Amy scowled slightly. "Yes. Yes I do. And I also know for a fact that he's not that person anymore." She fixed the immortal with an unwavering gaze and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You _honestly _believe that! Let me tell you something, sweetheart, people like that don't change with the snap of a finger and I checked his readings. Barely a year older than the last time I met him. It takes _hundreds_ of years to turn something like that into something _resembling_ human. Or Time Lord, in this case."

Several things happened at one. There was a flash of ginger. The Doctor gave a rather loud shout. Rory ran behind the desk where it was relatively safe. To top it off Jack ended up sprawled in a heap on the floor at Amy's feet, which tied the scene up rather nicely

"…the fuck…?" Was the only articulation Jack seemed able to form as Amy seethed above him.

"If you _ever_ talk about _my boy_ like that again it won't just be a punch, Harkness. Now where. Is. Koschei?"

Too stunned to do much else, Jack answered, the instructions tumbling out of his mouth.

Amy was pressing the button to get into the hub before he even finished.

{][][}

**A/N: *waltzing about the room* Dance with me, my lovely reviewers! Dance! Not only is this my longest fic chapter wise, it my longest fic word wise, and has nearly double the amount of reviews of my next highest reviewed fic! *still dancing* You don't know how much of a happy camper you've made me and how this fic probably wouldn't be _alive_ if it wasn't for _you people_ taking time out of your uber busy lives to read and review my humble writings. *brings Koschei into the dancing* I honestly love every last one of you right now.**

**Huge thanks to all the reviewers, alert-ers, and favorites. Since I can't mention all of you (because, and I'm not being vain here, it's a goddamn big number of people) this will have to do. *does the Drunk Giraffe because I am almost busting with joy and excitement***

**I honestly never though one of my fics -my crappy little things that are often typed up at such odd hours it should be illegal to be up with nothing but jazz violin keeping me from keeling over on my computer- would be so well taken into the fanfiction community, so another giant thanks to everyone. Seriously, you all get chibi!Koschei's and Doctor's and Amy's. Check your doorstep for them.**

**Well, you people are probably getting tired of me ranting about how _amazing_ you all are for reviewing, so this'll be my last rant... Unless by some freaking magic I happen to 100, in which case there will be a giant party thrown with Koschei being passed around like a freakin' hot potato while I try not to pass out from shock.**

**It is only because of you people that I'm actually satisfied with this chapter. ^_^ I don't even feel the large need to ****apologize for it's shortness.**

**Huggles and chibi's to all!**

**~And Extremely Giddy/Excited/Trying to Snap Herself out of Shock Piki :B**

**p.s. Long A/N is _freaking long._**


	11. Twin Hearts

Jack watched Amy storm out, closely followed by the Doctor, with a dull sense of shock. Rory stayed behind, just behind the desk. As though he'd be safe there…

Slowly realizing what had just happened Jack took the small remote out of his pocket. There was a slow, minute stream of electricity flowing through the Master's body at that moment. Jack had thought it would be a good way to keep him in line. It hadn't been necessary, but it was useful.

"Amy's going to kill us both." Rory said dully. Jack nodded distractedly.

"Won't really work on me," he replied, turning off the device before cranking it up.

"What?"

"Don't worry about it." Jack sighed in relief as he pressed down the button, holding for five seconds before releasing. The charge was enough to stop a humans heart.

{][][}

As soon as the Doctor was out of Jack's sight he _ran_. He didn't just flee like when there an alien chasing after him. No, he _ran_ like the Devil was chasing him and salvation was just ahead. It was that run, with long, panicked strides that made him fly through the Hub, Jack's directions humming through his mind. Amy was just behind him, her feet skidding over the floor almost as quickly as his.

He made it to the cells in less than two minutes.

He glanced around the corridor quickly, eyelids fluttering like camera shutters. He could hear a Weevil to his right, but nothing else. Why couldn't he hear Koschei breathing? He should have been able to hear him breathing. He went left, hoping that his sense of direction would be right just this once. One of the cell doors was unlocked and slightly ajar and he went in, not even bothering to look through the glass.

"No!"

Koschei was lying there, slumped against the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back. There were burn marks around a small disk attached to the collar around his neck and his chest was barely moving.

The Doctor rushed forward, his hands pressing against the other Time Lord's back. Left heart… all well and good, but going double overtime. Which meant the right had stopped. _One of Koschei's hearts had stopped_.

"Pond!" He shouted, not even bothering to check if Amy had come in. "Get him on his stomach while I work on the handcuffs!" His tone was panicked even as he fumbled with the screwdriver and it was that alone that made Amy do as she was told.

"What happened?" She asked, voice thick as she adjusted the scrawny body. "If he died can't he just… regenerate?"

The brunette shook his head, cursing quietly at his sonic as he struggled to find the right frequency. "One of his hearts stopped. And no, he can't. His body is still too weak from his time in the Time Lock and his refusal to eat. _Work damn you!_" The last is shouted angrily at the screwdriver in his hand as the cuffs still failed to open.

"If you're giving him CPR why lie him on his stomach?" Amy asked. "Doesn't he need to be on his back?"

Again the Doctor shook his head, letting out a triumphant cry as one cuff unlocked. He didn't have time to worry about the other. "No. Time Lord's have two hearts, and since we still need lungs to _breathe_," he sighed, placing his hands over where Koschei's right hearts was. "Our hearts are situated more towards the back, one on each side of the spinal cord, unlike you humans who have it up front and nestled between the lungs." With one deep breath he started compressions, Koschei's body jerking slightly under him.

Amy could feel the panic building in her gut as the Doctor pressed against the blonde's back. Because the hearts were situated more at the back didn't it make this more dangerous? When performing CPR ribs were often cracked or broken Rory had told her once. If they were they'd go straight to the heart, or the spine might… She shook her head resolutely.

The Doctor paused in his compressions, feeling for a beat under his palms. Still nothing. "Keep checking his other heart," he commanded, starting up again. "It's working overtime to make up for the one that's stopped so he might have a singular heart attack. If he does I need you to start compressions on that side too." His words come in short gasps between each press against Koschei's back and he was showing clear signs of strain.

She nodded, hand going under Koschei's black shirt (the leather was nowhere to be seen) to feel for his heart. She could feel it pounding against her finger tips but it beating too quickly like the Doctor had said. Her anxiety increased.

Tension radiated in the small room but it was almost dead silent. Other than the Doctor labored breathing and Amy's short, panicked gasps there wasn't one sound. It was terrifying.

"His heart's slowing down!" Amy said, a fresh wave of panic flowing through her. What did that mean? Had his other heart started again, or was this one failing?

The Doctor stopped again, feeling for any sort of pulsation beneath his hands. He slumped down, heaving a sigh of relief. "His heart is beating," he said slowly, exhausted. "Thank God, his heart is beating." Koschei's breathing slowly became deeper and what little pigmentation he had came back to his cheeks.

After a long, comforted pause the Doctor stood. Amy looked up at him, too tired from the sudden lack of adrenaline to stand just yet. She could only imagine how her Time Lord companion was feeling.

"We need to get him back to the TARDIS. Could you help me get him on my back and take off that collar?" Amy opened her mouth to protest to the first request but the Doctor held up a hand to stop her. "I may be tired, but his heart just stopped and he nearly had a heart attack. It's not like he's that heavy." He winced slightly at the implications of that statement, but to the very least it made Amy nod.

The ginger slowly put an arm under Koschei's chest, bringing him to a kneeling position while her free hand worked against the buckle. The handcuff rattled against the ground as it was dragged, but both occupants pointedly ignored it. The Doctor crouched down, taking Koschei's limp arms and wrapping them around his neck. He stood up once the smaller man was secure, feeling a small pit of anxiety rise in his chest at how easy it was to pick up the nearly-dead weight. Amy had gotten the collar though, which was a little comforting.

He and Amy walked through the halls of the Hub slowly, ignoring the odd stares they got in the main room. (Jack must have told his people to stand down; to the very least he could be thanked for that.) It was nearing the door to the Tourist Office that Koschei finally shifted slightly.

"Doc…tor?" He muttered weakly, wiggling slightly to hide how his body was shaking. The other Time Lord placed a hand on his.

"You're fine, Kosch. We're getting you out of here." He felt the stringy blond hair move against his neck.

"I don't… deserve to…" Koschei trailed off, not enough strength in his battered body to finish. The Doctor sighed.

"Hush, Kosch. We're going back to the TARDIS, healing you, and then we'll just travel for a bit, okay? No saving the universe, just relaxing, okay?" He smiled slightly at the thought. It had been so long since he'd just traveled - he'd never have a reason to. Why simply travel through the universe when you could help it? But he'd try, if only for Koschei's sake.

"…Why…?" Koschei asked, clearly confused. His head dropped slightly and the Doctor just kept walking. They were outside by this point, walking through the near-empty Cardiff streets. Amy had stayed to take care of… things.

"Because you need it. You need to be safe and given time to _heal_. You've changed, I know you have, and you need to see that you don't have to worry. You've been put through so much you didn't deserve and it's about time you saw that." He smiled softly. "And if you don't believe me then I'll just make you, got it?"

But Koschei was already asleep.

{][][}

It was silent.

Not a calm, peaceful silence mind you. No, this was a tense, "someone is about to die" silence. The kind of silence before an execution.

Amy smiled.

"Let's start with Rory," she said, honey layered in her voice. The men before her gulped. "Now, what exactly were you thinking when you decided to tell Jackie-boy here where the TARDIS was so he could take Koschei?"

Her husband struggled to find a reply that wouldn't get him killed. Again.

"I - well, Jack told me about the Master and what he did -just one thing- when I was a Roman and Amy do you have any idea what he managed in one bloody-"

She held up a finger to silence him. "Shut up," she turned to the immortal, eyes narrowed just a bit more than they were before. "And why, soldier boy, did you decide it would be better to simply kidnap Koschei rather than trust the Doctor's judgment?"

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to be intimidated by the younger woman. If it hadn't been for the look in her eye he wouldn't have been at all. "He forgives too easily," he said simply. "Always had, especially with the Master. He told you about that year, right? Even after all that he still planned on having the Master travel with him. He's too trusting with him and it _will_ get him killed." He smirked at her and her glare intensified.

"And the attempted murder?" She questioned. He gave her a slightly withering look.

"Did I not just state my reasoning?"

She shrugged, suddenly going back to cheery. "All right." She delivered a sharp kick and Jack gasped, tears springing to his eyes. She could _kick_.

Amy turned around grabbing Rory by the sleeve of his shirt. "Come along, stupid face. You know what happens when we get to our room."

Rory groaned. "Police woman and Roman?" He questioned. It had been fun the first time, but then Amy found her handcuffs…

"You bet your sorry arse," Amy replied with a grin.

{][][}

**A/N: The last bit goes out to my lovely reviewer Shannara, who asked quite nicely if Jack could get "a kick were the sun doesn't tan." ;) That's for you.**

**Also, I'm going on vacation. Four/five days down in Oregon with no computer but a giant bookstore a city block big. Obviously no updates, but I'll try and have one to your guys by this time next week. If I don't feel free to pelt me with various rotten food items.**

**Thanks to everyone!**

**~Piki :B**


	12. Fin

Everything _hurt_.

That was Koschei's first observation upon waking up. His chest ached, his ribs sent stinging sensation through his body, and there was overall just a sense of pain. He remembered being in his cell, waiting, when a large shock had come from the collar. Surely if he was dead he shouldn't have been hurting so much? Then again hell wasn't supposed to be roses and sunshine, was it?

No, he wasn't in hell. There was a noise… One two three four, just by him. A wave of dread passed through him. Had the drums returned or had the past week just been a hallucination? What if he was still back in that cell on Gallifrey? The chains shouldn't have allowed him enough room to lie down though and he couldn't feel the familiar burning of the metal around his wrists and neck. Where the hell was he?

It took a moment but he slowly realized the noise was a heart monitor. Definitely not Gallifrey then and the Freak wouldn't have killed him just to bring him back. Perhaps he'd regenerated. He wasn't strong enough though and even if he had the heart monitor wouldn't make any sense.

He felt a warm hand grasp his and suddenly he remembered. The Doctor had come and taken him back to the TARDIS, saved his life… But why would he do that if he'd taken him to Torchwood in the first place? Unless he honestly didn't want him dead ad had realized what Jack would do. He growled mentally. None of this was making any sense!

Opening his eyes with a groan he turned his head. As he'd thought the Doctor was there, staring forward blankly. He clearly hadn't heard, which gave Koschei a bit of time to regain his bearings.

He heard his heart beats speed up slightly as he fully entered the waking realm. He groaned again, propping himself up on one arm. Finally the Doctor looked down, emerald eyes wide. After a seconded he sighed in relief, body slumping forward.

"I thought you weren't going to make it for a while there," he said, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "Should have known better, eh? Takes more than a heart stopping to keep you out. You'll always come back."

Koschei's brow furrowed in confusion at the statement. He couldn't imagine why the Doctor would be so relieved with his survival except that perhaps it was one less death on his conscience. That had to be it.

"When-" he cleared his throat, hating how weak he sounded, voice barely making it above a whisper. "When are we leaving?" Much better. He almost sounded like himself there.

The brunette shrugged. "Whenever you feel ready, I s'pose." Koschei let out a small sigh, slumping down into the bed. To the very least he wouldn't have to leave in his current state. Which brought up another question…

"Torchwood Two, UNIT, or uninhabited planet?" He asked and the Doctor's grip on his hand seemed to tighten.

"What?" Koschei shrunk back slightly at the low tone.

"You're going to drop me off somewhere," he said, tone slightly sarcastic. "I would just prefer to know where." The Doctor's eyes widened and for some reason he looked shocked. Koschei couldn't imagine why - it was a good question.

He expected an answer like "I'm not sure yet," or you'll have to see". What he didn't expect was the near scandalized look on the other Time Lord's face.

"You aren't going anywhere!" He said quickly. "I mean, obviously if we end up landing somewhere you're welcome to come if you want, but you aren't… Koschei, what made you think I was sending you off? I told you, you don't have to leave unless you want to." He looked almost hurt at the assumption and Koschei bristled.

"Well, considering you already pawned me off on Captain Freak…" He said, acid layering his tone as he sat up, pointedly ignoring the pain flashing through his chest. The Doctor looked slightly offended for a moment before his shoulders fell.

"Kosch," he said with the utmost sincerity. "Jack found out that the TARDIS was here from the rift activity and Rory mentioned you at a coffee shop he was at. He drugged me before I could explain and you were gone when I woke up." His gaze went downward for a second, thumb stroking the back of Koschei's hand where it was still in his grasp. "I should have been faster. If I'd been able to start talking a little faster."

It was that that made Koschei giggle. Just quietly, his shoulders shaking slightly with nervous tension. His hearts sped up, he cold hear it from the monitor. "N-no," he muttered through the giggle fit. "He-he said. You might've regretted it after but you _did_. I knew you would and you did and why wouldn't you? It makes _sense_. No one, not even you, would just… trust me!" The nervous giggled turned to panicked breaths and the Doctor held his hand tightly, bringing it up in his.

"Did he ever say that I did?" Koschei clearly wasn't listening. "Kosch! Listen to me!" The blonde's head snapped up, eyes wide. "There we go. Now Kosch, did Jack _ever_ say that I sent you there? I don't mean implied - I mean in actual words." Koschei took a deep, shuddering breath and shook his head. The Doctor smiled softly. "Don't you think he would've brought it up if I had? You know he would've, Kosch; he's human. I _did not_ "pawn you off on him". I promise." The younger man nodded slowly, wariness still in his gaze. The Doctor's grin widened. They'd get there eventually.

There was a moment of silence and Koschei glanced down at their still joined hands.

"You know how gay this makes us look, right?" He snakred playfully.

The Doctor laughed.

{][**End**][}

**A/N: *does little dance* Longest fic, most reviews, and _second ever finished! _I am a very happy panda right now. ^_^ And finished while waiting for mom to get off the phone with her dad so we can head off to the earlier mentioned Bookstore (which certainly deserves the capitalization). I'm quote pleased at the moment.**

**I'm thinking of doing a series of one-shorts to go with this for the "getting there". Snippets from the rest of season six and the like, you know? Obviously I need encouragement to do so though... ;) There'll be a poll on my profile if you guys are interested.**

**So... yeah. Finished fic is finished. Huge thanks to everyone that reviewed, alerted, and faved. Swag of all sorts is avaliable in the TARDIS wardrobe - take what you like.**

**(Also, slightly smalled thanks to smiles2go. I know you never would've read this if I handed PMed you and abashedly asked for your opinion, so thanks for continuing to read when, really, you didn't even have to read the first two chapters, let alone keep going for the rest.)**

**Say goodbye, Koschei!  
>Koschei: *waves sarcastically* Thank God it's over.<strong>

**~Piki :B**

**p.s. The ending can be interprited any which way for thoes who don't like slash. Keep check of what type of goggles you wear. ;)**


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